Articles Posted inDump Truck Accidents

Earlier this month, the Maryland Court of Appeals issued a written opinion in a truck accident case, holding that evidence of a defendant’s lack of insurance is not relevant and should be excluded from the jury’s consideration. In the case, Perry v. Asphalt & Concrete Services, Inc., the appellate court reversed the nearly $530,000 jury verdict and ordered a new trial.

The Facts of the Case

The plaintiff was crossing the street in Frederick, Maryland, when he was struck by a dump truck that was working on a paving job at a nearby church. As a result of being struck by the dump truck, the plaintiff sustained head trauma and fractured several ribs. He then filed a lawsuit against the truck driver, the truck’s owner, and the defendant in this case, ACS, which was the company that hired the truck to complete the paving job.

The plaintiff’s theory against ACS was that the company negligently hired the truck driver. The plaintiff claimed that ACS was negligent because it failed to look into the truck driver’s licensing. In fact, the truck driver was not a licensed driver at the time of the accident. He also did not have liability insurance at the time of the accident.

Like other large trucks, dump trucks are heavy and difficult to steer, and they take a long time to come to a complete stop once a driver begins to apply the brake. On top of that, the cargo in a dump truck is often loose stone or other debris that is covered only by a tarp, if it is covered by anything at all. The combination of these factors results in dump trucks being some of the most dangerous vehicles on the road.

In fact, dump trucks have the highest number of fatalities among all kinds of commercial trucks, with about six fatalities per million miles traveled. Garbage trucks are not far behind, with about five fatalities per million miles traveled. Semi-trucks are a bit further down the list with about 3.63 fatalities per million miles traveled.

Another reason why dump trucks are so dangerous is because they have the capability to cause mass destruction when they are involved in an accident. Most dump trucks are extremely heavy and have a great mass, giving them the power to plow through several vehicles before coming to a complete stop. Dump trucks are often prone to tipping, due to their high center of gravity. This can result in additional accident victims because people driving behind the truck are forced to deal with the debris that spills onto the roadway.

Earlier this week near Dover, Delaware, a dump truck driver crashed his truck into the rear of a semi-truck that was parked on the side of the highway. Thankfully, no one was injured as a result. According to one local Delaware news report, the accident took place in the southbound lanes of Delaware Route 1 at around five in the morning.

Evidently, the operator of the dump truck was heading south on Delaware 1 when he became momentarily distracted and drifted off the road and into the right median. As the truck made its way off the road, it collided with a semi-truck that had parked under an overpass on the highway. The force from the collision pushed the semi-truck some 300 feet down the highway and up onto a grassy embankment. The dump truck ended up toppling over on its side a few hundred feet from the point of collision.

The operator of the semi-truck was in the sleeper area of the truck at the time of the collision and was surprisingly not injured at all in the accident. The driver of the dump truck was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries, and he was released after just a few hours. Both drivers were ticketed by police after the accident, the dump truck driver for inattentive driving and the semi-truck operator for parking in a no-stopping zone.

In what is certainly one of the most catastrophic truck accidents to date, 28 people have been pronounced dead and over 140 hospitalized after a dump truck lost control in Mazapil, Mexico, when its brakes failed. According to a Yahoo! News report, the accident occurred as hundreds of worshippers were on their way to Saint Gregorio Magno Church.

Evidently, the large group of people were on a pilgrimage to the church when the fatal accident occurred. As the dump truck driver approached the crowd, the truck’s brakes failed, sending it into another vehicle. The dump truck, which was full of tons of sand, then continued on into the crowd of 300 people.

After the carnage, over 140 were taken to the hospital. As of the time of this article’s publication, there were still 31 hospitalized, 10 of whom were still in critical condition. Fourteen people died on the scene, and another 14 have died since, either on the way to the hospital or while at the hospital.

Earlier this month, an accident on Route 200, more commonly known as the Intercounty Connector, claimed the life of one man and injured another. According to one local news report, the accident occurred around two in the afternoon, between the Layhill Road and New Hampshire Avenue exits.

Evidently, a dump truck from Montgomery County was carrying a load of gravel when it inexplicably skidded across the eastbound lanes and then toppled over in the median. Thousands of pounds of gravel spilled from the truck as it fell. Shortly thereafter, a Nissan car that was approaching the overturned truck was unable to avoid a collision.

The driver of the dump truck was tragically pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the Nissan was taken to Medstar Montgomery Medical Center in Olney, not far from the site of the accident. He was admitted with non-life threatening injuries and is expected to make a full recovery. The cause of the accident is still under investigation.

Earlier this month in Montgomery County, an accident between a dump truck and a county bus sent 10 people to the hospital with various injuries. According to one local news report, the accident took place about five miles away from Silver Spring in the White Oak area.

Evidently, around two o’clock in the afternoon at New Hampshire Avenue and Tracey Drive, a dump truck crashed into the back of the county bus, which was carrying a total of 16 passengers and a driver. After the accident, emergency crews ended up taking nine adults and one child to the hospital for non-life threatening injuries. Both drivers were not injured in the accident.

A police investigation is underway, but at this point it seems as though the dump truck rear-ended the bus while the bus was stopped. Authorities are not sure why the dump truck was unable to or did not stop in time.

Earlier this month in Nottoway County, Virginia, a school bus driver was charged with reckless driving after he was involved in a serious collision with an oncoming dump truck. According to one local news report, the accident occurred at around 3:50 in the afternoon while the bus was taking students home. Twelve students were onboard the bus at the time of the accident.

Evidently, the school bus was heading north on Route 614 when it unexpectedly drifted out of its lane and into the eastbound lanes of Route 460, directly into the path of a Peterbilt dump truck. All 12 students, the driver, and one aide aboard the school bus were fine, suffering only minor injuries. However, the driver of the dump truck was taken to a nearby hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, as was his 12-year-old passenger.

“Professional” Drivers and Accident Liability in Maryland

School bus drivers, like truck drivers, taxi drivers, and any other motorist who is paid to operate a motor vehicle, have a duty to their passengers as well as others on the road. While the specifics of this accident are not known, it seems reasonable to think that the driver of the bus was somehow distracted in the moments immediately preceding the accident.

Earlier last month, a Ford Truck and a dump truck collided near Moores Road, resulting in one fatality. A Maryland news report stated that the accident occurred in Prince George’s County in Brandywine, Maryland. Apparently, right after rush hour Maryland State Police responded to a call about a serious accident. Police officials explained that when they arrived they found that two drivers had been seriously injured.

An investigation revealed that the man who was driving the Ford truck was proceeding west on Moores Road. Evidently, he was in the process of crossing the northbound lane. The other driver, who was traveling in a dump truck, was driving down the northbound lane. The dump truck ended up hitting the Ford’s driver’s side. Emergency personnel immediately transported both injured individuals to Southern Maryland Hospital. Unfortunately, the driver of the Ford truck was pronounced dead by the emergency room physician.

Earlier this month in Jarretsville, Maryland, a woman was killed after she lost control of her vehicle and crashed into an oncoming dump truck. According to a news report by the Baltimore Sun, the accident occurred while the woman was traveling westbound on 439 and took place near the intersection of Route 23. At the time, the roads were wet and partially covered in snow.

Evidently, shortly after 11 in the morning, the woman’s Honda Civic crossed the center median after she briefly lost control of the vehicle. As she entered the lanes of oncoming traffic, she was struck by a large Mack dump truck head-on. By the time emergency responders arrived at the scene, the woman had died. The driver of the truck was taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Police are still conducting an investigation into how the fatal truck accident occurred. A preliminary investigation indicates that poor road conditions due to the inclement weather were at least partially responsible.

Earlier this week in a fatal accident out of Prince William County, Virginia, a truck driver lost his life when he crashed into a disabled dump truck on Interstate 95. According to a report by a local CBS affiliate, the dump truck was stalled in the middle northbound lane of I-95 around mile marker 195.

Evidently, the dump truck driver notified authorities as soon as his vehicle became disabled. However, before authorities could get to the scene, the semi-truck driver crashed into the back of the dump truck. It was only a matter of minutes after the truck was disabled that it was hit.

After the accident, the driver of the dump truck was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. However, the driver of the semi-truck was killed in the accident and pronounced dead at the scene. Both drivers were wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accident.

Disclaimer: While all of the cases identified in the Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers website under Our Successes are cases that Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers has handled for its clients, Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers does not represent any of the clients in cases mentioned in our blog. Our law firm is reporting on current events that will likely be of interest to our readers. The content provided is not intended as legal advice.

Our past results are not a guarantee of future results, and they should not be used to predict an outcome in any future case or matter. The merits of each case must be determined based upon the facts and the applicable law of each particular case. Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers is a law firm with lawyers licensed to practice law in the State of Maryland, and a lawyer licensed to practice law in Washington, D.C.